Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, appeared to mock a disabled reporter at a rally in 2015.
Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

The spectacle of Donald Trump repeatedly demeaning and insulting just about every minority group in the US during his campaign for the presidency has been toxic and unprecedented. High up on the long list of ignominious behaviour was the contempt he displayed for people with disabilities in his mocking of a disabled reporter, captured on video.

As with the battles disabled people have fought in Britain against austerity policies from the bedroom tax to the work programme, Trump’s casual disdain is a potent reminder of how fragile inclusion and hard-fought-for disability rights can be.

Beyond the media focus on the race for the White House a new report by the Ruderman Family Foundation explores evidence that, regardless of political rhetoric, people with disabilities in the US routinely encounter barriers within the broader electoral process. There are at least 35 million voting-age people [pdf] with disabilities in the US – one in seven of the electorate. According to the study, co-authored by Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, many are treated like “second-class citizens” as a result of obstacles to voting. The wide-ranging paper points out how “despite a patchwork of legislation” to ensure access to voting serious problems persist.

Pulling on an array of research and interviews it details the scope of the issue, including how in parts of the US people with disabilities are unable to reach polling stations because of a lack of public or adapted transport and inaccessible buildings. Alternative options such as absentee ballots or assistance with casting a vote aren’t adequate substitutes for a fully accessible, inclusive system it argues because, among other things, these can impede a voter’s right to choice and privacy.

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Other hurdles it lists involve election materials and online voter registration (for example for people with visual impairments), poll workers who are poorly trained in disability access and limited resources to improve services. In 2013, the US Government Accountability Office [pdf] estimated that in 2008 73% of polling stations had “a potential impediment”, something this latest report rightly concludes is “stunning and troubling”. Almost three-quarters translates as millions of disabled voters possibly being denied their vote.

The report also says stigma is a huge problem, especially for people with learning and mental disabilities. According to research, in 27 US states large numbers of people in these groups are barred from or have restrictions placed on voting.

It might be tempting to think of voting access for people with disabilities as a predominantly US problem but as the last UK general election showed, it is far from alone. During that election activists including Operation Disabled Vote, which campaigned on voter registration, highlighted the obstacles in place across Britain. Meanwhile a report from the charity Scope, found two-thirds of polling stations had at least one significant barrier to access. Research published in 2014 by Mencap revealed that 60% of people with a learning disability reported difficulties registering to vote.

When it comes to mental health, charities including Mind and Rethink Mental Illness have argued for years that vulnerable people such as those who are homeless with mental health problems can face multiple barriers to voting. None of these problems, be they in Britain or the US, are universal or irreversible. During the 2016 presidential campaign it has been encouraging to see positive perspectives on disability. Hillary Clinton has repeatedly highlighted disabled people’s employment rights and other areas where exclusion and underrepresentation are common.

And in the run-up to next week’s election, activists in the US have been mobilising and political engagement is high. The American Association of People With Disabilities launched a successful campaign in the summer promoting voting accessibility and registration among the millions of people with disabilities who are eligible to vote. Grassroots activism has also been spurred into action with networks such as SignVote, for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and Crip the Vote, an online campaign encouraging disabled people to participate in local and state elections as well as voting for president.

The right to vote, and not being precluded from exercising that right, is fundamental to citizens in any society wishing to call itself democratic or inclusive. It is intolerable that people continue to face barriers to voting because of their disability.

• This article was amended on 3 November 2016 to add a reference to the Ruderman Family Foundation.